Book: Three Clams and an Oyster
Author: Randy Powell
Published: 2006
Four-man flag football team Three Clams and an Oyster is cursed when it comes to Oysters. Their first one, Glen Como, died suddenly the summer before ninth grade. Their current one, Cade Savage, keeps missing practices and even flakes out on a game, forcing them to forfeit. They choose to hold tryouts for the Oyster position, but Cade is always in the back of their mind.
Now the three Clams--McCallister, Deshutis, and Beaterson--have a hard choice to make. Should they jettison an unreliable player or do everything they can to support their oldest friend in his time of need?
From the cover you would think this is about the team adjusting to having a (gasp!) girl on the roster. In fact, this is nowhere near what the book is about. I suspect the publishers latched onto this one, fairly minor element and ran with it, leaving Powell scratching his head and going, “Huh?”
Instead, this book is about a complex five-way friendship. Glen, in spite of being dead, is still very much present, haunting the story in bits and pieces. (Thank you, Randy Powell, for NOT flashing back.) How much can you hang on to the past? How much should you? And at what point does your friend forfeit the right to your support by slacking off on his responsibility to be there for you?
Pick up this book to find out how three young men try to find the answers.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
The Banning Hound is on the Scent . . .
Maureen Johnson's book The Bermudez Triangle has been banned from the school library in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. If you live around there, go to the local public library, to which she will be donating copies of the banned book (plus another one) and make sure everyone sees you reading this NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY book. You're in luck, because besides having no moral fiber (without moral fiber you get moral constipation!), it's a great, heartfelt story about relationships and friendships and identity, sexual or otherwise.
Also drop by MJ's blog and show support.
Banning Hound wants a Milk Bone, too.
Also drop by MJ's blog and show support.
Banning Hound wants a Milk Bone, too.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
I Have Nothing to Say . . .
. . . because this is way too cool for words to express.
Okay, fine, it has nothing to do with kidlit. Unless you're figuring on doing a kid's book about William the Conqueror or the Bayeaux Tapestry. Hmmm . . . kind of a cool idea . . . I call it!
Large congrats to David Newton, whoever he is.
P.S. Music is also v. cool.
P.P.S. Thanks to Diane Duane's blog for the link.
Okay, fine, it has nothing to do with kidlit. Unless you're figuring on doing a kid's book about William the Conqueror or the Bayeaux Tapestry. Hmmm . . . kind of a cool idea . . . I call it!
Large congrats to David Newton, whoever he is.
P.S. Music is also v. cool.
P.P.S. Thanks to Diane Duane's blog for the link.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Changeling
Book: Changeling
Author: Delia Sherman
Published: 2006
Neef is a changeling--a mortal child stolen away from her parents and taken to live in the fairy world. She has lived all her life in Central Park. Protected and cosseted by her fairy godmother (Astris, a white rat) and fairy godfather (Pooka the trickster), she had no idea how dangerous it is for her in the rest of the fairy world. But then she snuck into the Summer Solstice dance and enrages the Green Lady, who retaliated by kicking her out of Central Park and revoking the protection that’s always kept her safe. Neef can only come back home if she ventures out into the city and brings the Green Lady three little trinkets . . . trinkets that belong to the most powerful fairy folk in Manhattan. Now she's about to find out just how dangerous New York City can be . . .
I'm not the first person to go gaga over this book--it's gotten plenty of buzz on the kidlitospehere and it just made the VOYA 2006 Best of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror list. But having read it, I can join the crowd with glee.
This is one of those books where a place is as important as any character. In this case, the place is New York City--Central Park, the harbor, Broadway, Wall Street, and all sorts of environs in between. The character of the city also permeates the fairy world, where vampires tap-dance on Broadway and the Green Lady wouldn’t be caught dead talking like that pansy Titania.
Neef is no fluffy fairy child--she is savvy, nervy, and mouthy enough to be instantly recognizable as a New York girl, even if her New York is populated with dragons, mermaids, and other magical folk. Her changeling counterpart isn’t as instantly likeable. It took a long time for me to warm up to her, and almost as long for her to start serving any purpose other than annoying Neef. However, even she becomes invaluable at the end. Pick this up for a delicious blend of quest, fairy tale, and love song for New York City.
Author: Delia Sherman
Published: 2006
Neef is a changeling--a mortal child stolen away from her parents and taken to live in the fairy world. She has lived all her life in Central Park. Protected and cosseted by her fairy godmother (Astris, a white rat) and fairy godfather (Pooka the trickster), she had no idea how dangerous it is for her in the rest of the fairy world. But then she snuck into the Summer Solstice dance and enrages the Green Lady, who retaliated by kicking her out of Central Park and revoking the protection that’s always kept her safe. Neef can only come back home if she ventures out into the city and brings the Green Lady three little trinkets . . . trinkets that belong to the most powerful fairy folk in Manhattan. Now she's about to find out just how dangerous New York City can be . . .
I'm not the first person to go gaga over this book--it's gotten plenty of buzz on the kidlitospehere and it just made the VOYA 2006 Best of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror list. But having read it, I can join the crowd with glee.
This is one of those books where a place is as important as any character. In this case, the place is New York City--Central Park, the harbor, Broadway, Wall Street, and all sorts of environs in between. The character of the city also permeates the fairy world, where vampires tap-dance on Broadway and the Green Lady wouldn’t be caught dead talking like that pansy Titania.
Neef is no fluffy fairy child--she is savvy, nervy, and mouthy enough to be instantly recognizable as a New York girl, even if her New York is populated with dragons, mermaids, and other magical folk. Her changeling counterpart isn’t as instantly likeable. It took a long time for me to warm up to her, and almost as long for her to start serving any purpose other than annoying Neef. However, even she becomes invaluable at the end. Pick this up for a delicious blend of quest, fairy tale, and love song for New York City.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Save Yourselves!
It's the VOYA Best of 2006 Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror List!
I've read about 25% of this list, and about 50% more is already in my Blue Journal of Stuff I Gotta Read Before I Die. But that still leaves 25% new-to-me titles! I'll never run out of things to read!
Everyone should have this problem.
Thanks to Kids Lit for the heads-up.
P.S. Why, yes, I have had some sugar today. So kind of you to notice.
I've read about 25% of this list, and about 50% more is already in my Blue Journal of Stuff I Gotta Read Before I Die. But that still leaves 25% new-to-me titles! I'll never run out of things to read!
Everyone should have this problem.
Thanks to Kids Lit for the heads-up.
P.S. Why, yes, I have had some sugar today. So kind of you to notice.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Pretty Interesting Mix
So the Carnegie Medal in the UK is kind of like the Newbery over here: big honkin' hairy deal, highlighting some of the best in kidlit. So when they put out their list of the best books of the past 70 years, it's one heck of a mix. Here's it is, with itty-bitty summaries.
To read the whole article, click on over to the Independent's website. Thanks to Chicken Spaghetti for the link.
Carnegie of Carnegies shortlist
* SKELLIG David Almond (won in 1998)
A tale of a creature beneath the garage
* JUNK Melvin Burgess (1996)
The lives of young heroin users
* STORM Kevin Crossley-Holland (1985)
Girl discovers the secrets of a marsh
* A GATHERING LIGHT Jennifer Donnelly (2003)
Novel about a real murder
* THE OWL SERVICE Alan Garner (1967)
A terrifying legend re-emerges
* THE FAMILY FROM ONE END STREET Eve Garnett (1937)
Portrait of a working-class family
* THE BORROWERS Mary Norton (1952)
Tiny people live beneath the floor
* TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN Philippa Pearce (1958)
Adventures in a magical garden
* NORTHERN LIGHTS Philip Pullman (1995)
First of the trilogy His Dark Materials
* THE MACHINE-GUNNERS Robert Westall (1981)
Second World War novel
To read the whole article, click on over to the Independent's website. Thanks to Chicken Spaghetti for the link.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Grand and Humble
Book: Grand & Humble
Author: Brent Hartinger
Published: 2006
On the surface, Harlan Chesterton and Manny Tucker couldn’t be more different. Harlan is a popular athlete whose charmed life is all on the surface, as his domineering mother engineers his whole life to reflect well on his politician father. Manny is a theater geek who is discovering that his loving, supportive father has kept secrets his whole life.
But they have some things in common. They were born in the same town, go to the same high school, and even know some of the same people. Most importantly, they both keep having the same nerve-wracking premonitions of death and disaster. So why have Harlan and Manny never met? And what does the intersection at Grand and Humble have to do with it all?
Brent Hartinger is best known for his novel Geography Club, which I haven’t read (yet). However, I just had to blog this story of two very different boys with a terribly similar problem. Family secrets are the key to banishing the nightmares for both boys, if they can only uncover them. Their lives keep brushing up against each other, but never really intersecting until the fascinating twist at the end, which makes a re-read even more fun.
Author: Brent Hartinger
Published: 2006
On the surface, Harlan Chesterton and Manny Tucker couldn’t be more different. Harlan is a popular athlete whose charmed life is all on the surface, as his domineering mother engineers his whole life to reflect well on his politician father. Manny is a theater geek who is discovering that his loving, supportive father has kept secrets his whole life.
But they have some things in common. They were born in the same town, go to the same high school, and even know some of the same people. Most importantly, they both keep having the same nerve-wracking premonitions of death and disaster. So why have Harlan and Manny never met? And what does the intersection at Grand and Humble have to do with it all?
Brent Hartinger is best known for his novel Geography Club, which I haven’t read (yet). However, I just had to blog this story of two very different boys with a terribly similar problem. Family secrets are the key to banishing the nightmares for both boys, if they can only uncover them. Their lives keep brushing up against each other, but never really intersecting until the fascinating twist at the end, which makes a re-read even more fun.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Story of a Girl
Bit late this week . . . sorry about that!
Book: Story of a Girl
Author: Sara Zarr
Published: 2007
Everybody knows about Deanna Lambert. She’s the girl whose dad caught her having sex with her brother’s best friend when she was thirteen and he was seventeen. She's a slut, a pathetic skank.
Except Deanna knows that nobody really knows about her. But what can she do? She’s been branded and filed away into the untouchable drawer by everyone, even her own father. The only friends she has are Lee and Jason, and even they can’t protect her from the slurs and whispers that are as familiar now as her own name. All she can do is keep her head down and make plans for her escape.
First in those plans is to get some cash flow, which means getting a job at the only place that’s hiring, Picasso’s Pizza. But then she discovers that her new coworker is Tommy Webber, the boy she was caught with three years ago. Now it’s her choice about whether she’s going to keep running away from the event and the actions that have defined her life since . . . or stay and face them.
The really cool thing about this book is that there are no angels or demons. Deanna is no falsely accused innocent--she really was having sex with Tommy Weber when her dad caught them. Even Tommy is a 3-D character, young and unsure and getting the story wrong. The central theme of the story is not Deanna "clearing her name," but coming to an understanding of why she made the choices she did, and finding a way to make different ones now.
And in the end, forgiveness and renewal are not instantaneous. It’s a slow process, as painful in its own way as the initial trauma that requires forgiveness.
This would be a heck of a novel for any author, but for a first-time author, it’s astounding. I can’t wait to see what Sara Zarr does next.
Book: Story of a Girl
Author: Sara Zarr
Published: 2007
Everybody knows about Deanna Lambert. She’s the girl whose dad caught her having sex with her brother’s best friend when she was thirteen and he was seventeen. She's a slut, a pathetic skank.
Except Deanna knows that nobody really knows about her. But what can she do? She’s been branded and filed away into the untouchable drawer by everyone, even her own father. The only friends she has are Lee and Jason, and even they can’t protect her from the slurs and whispers that are as familiar now as her own name. All she can do is keep her head down and make plans for her escape.
First in those plans is to get some cash flow, which means getting a job at the only place that’s hiring, Picasso’s Pizza. But then she discovers that her new coworker is Tommy Webber, the boy she was caught with three years ago. Now it’s her choice about whether she’s going to keep running away from the event and the actions that have defined her life since . . . or stay and face them.
The really cool thing about this book is that there are no angels or demons. Deanna is no falsely accused innocent--she really was having sex with Tommy Weber when her dad caught them. Even Tommy is a 3-D character, young and unsure and getting the story wrong. The central theme of the story is not Deanna "clearing her name," but coming to an understanding of why she made the choices she did, and finding a way to make different ones now.
And in the end, forgiveness and renewal are not instantaneous. It’s a slow process, as painful in its own way as the initial trauma that requires forgiveness.
This would be a heck of a novel for any author, but for a first-time author, it’s astounding. I can’t wait to see what Sara Zarr does next.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Larklight
Book: Larklight
Author: Philip Reeve
Published: 2006
Art Mumby and his sister Myrtle are having a regular old day at Larklight, their ancestral house which floats on the far side of the moon. The gravity generator has to be turned off so the hoverhogs can eat the floating debris, and they're planning to go out and watch their visitor's spaceship dock at the front door. Also, Myrtle is practicing her new piano piece.
But their new visitor doesn't turn out to be a personable gentleman, as Myrtle was hoping. Instead, he's a giant spider (although he does wear a hat and speak English) who invades their home, wraps their father in a web, and keeps asking for the key to Larklight. Art and Myrtle manage to escape, only to land on the moon. Once there, they almost get eaten by giant moths, are rescued by pirates, and discover that the spiders are actually a prehistoric race from Saturn's rings, intent on destroying the solar system. And the only thing that can stop them is Larklight. But what exactly is the key?
Dear me. This could get a mite sticky.
I adore an off-kilter book, and this definitely counts. Reeves has cooked up a deliciously kooky blend of Victorian adventure novel and space opera, complete with elaborate chapter headings such as "We return home (huzzah!) but discover that it may already be too late to save dear old England from the vengeance of the First Ones (boo!)" It races headlong from exotic locale to exotic locale, bursting at the seams with adventures that are all the more entertaining for their unlikeliness.
For readers that are up on their English history, some of the fun is in seeing how Reeves took actual characters and events (Isaac Newton, the explorer Richard Burton, the Crystal Palace of the 1851 Exhibition) and tweaks them to serve his story. Art’s sister Myrtle can get rather annoying, since she’s usually your traditional fainting maiden, but other than that, Larklight is a grand old time.
Author: Philip Reeve
Published: 2006
Art Mumby and his sister Myrtle are having a regular old day at Larklight, their ancestral house which floats on the far side of the moon. The gravity generator has to be turned off so the hoverhogs can eat the floating debris, and they're planning to go out and watch their visitor's spaceship dock at the front door. Also, Myrtle is practicing her new piano piece.
But their new visitor doesn't turn out to be a personable gentleman, as Myrtle was hoping. Instead, he's a giant spider (although he does wear a hat and speak English) who invades their home, wraps their father in a web, and keeps asking for the key to Larklight. Art and Myrtle manage to escape, only to land on the moon. Once there, they almost get eaten by giant moths, are rescued by pirates, and discover that the spiders are actually a prehistoric race from Saturn's rings, intent on destroying the solar system. And the only thing that can stop them is Larklight. But what exactly is the key?
Dear me. This could get a mite sticky.
I adore an off-kilter book, and this definitely counts. Reeves has cooked up a deliciously kooky blend of Victorian adventure novel and space opera, complete with elaborate chapter headings such as "We return home (huzzah!) but discover that it may already be too late to save dear old England from the vengeance of the First Ones (boo!)" It races headlong from exotic locale to exotic locale, bursting at the seams with adventures that are all the more entertaining for their unlikeliness.
For readers that are up on their English history, some of the fun is in seeing how Reeves took actual characters and events (Isaac Newton, the explorer Richard Burton, the Crystal Palace of the 1851 Exhibition) and tweaks them to serve his story. Art’s sister Myrtle can get rather annoying, since she’s usually your traditional fainting maiden, but other than that, Larklight is a grand old time.
Friday, March 30, 2007
A Funny for Friday
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Harry Potter 7 covers
Check 'em out! Beware, however, they're HUGE. I can't get Firefox to shrink 'em down any, but maybe IE will.
Gorgeous, and also food for all sorts of speculation. Like, check out Dobby holding Godric Gryffindor's sword in the British one! What's that all about?! And what's Harry wearing around his neck in the US one? And who's watching? Gah!! I may actually faint. Somebody catch me.
Mary Grandpre, can I grow up to be you?
Gorgeous, and also food for all sorts of speculation. Like, check out Dobby holding Godric Gryffindor's sword in the British one! What's that all about?! And what's Harry wearing around his neck in the US one? And who's watching? Gah!! I may actually faint. Somebody catch me.
Mary Grandpre, can I grow up to be you?
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
You Need to Go Watch This
Mr. Rogers testifying about the need for children's programming in 1969
Because. You do. It's been years since I saw Mr. Rogers on TV and I still feel better just hearing his voice.
Because. You do. It's been years since I saw Mr. Rogers on TV and I still feel better just hearing his voice.
Do I Actually Read Non-Library Blogs?!
Zee of Zee Says tagged me with another meme, which is to list 5 non-library blogs I read. Thanks, Zee! Turns out I actually do have some.
1. Cute Overload I don't care what kind of day you've had, you have to smile at this blog. Kittens! Puppies! Occasional lizards! All in a state of overwhelming cuteness! Don't read the entire page at once or you may never recover. Also, you may start speaking in a reeeeeediculous Frawnsh accent!
2. Dooce The most famous blogger ever to get fired from her job, Heather Armstrong now writes about everything and nothing, and does it hilariously. My favorites are her monthly letters to her daughter, Leta, wherein she talks candidly and lovingly (and often slightly insanely) about all the changes her preschool-age daughter is going through as she grows.
3. Jane in Progress Television writer Jane Esponson talks about selling scripts, writing for the networks, and writing in general. I first found this because she often works with Godlike-Creator-of-Buffy-and-Firefly Joss Whedon, and let's face it folks, I would watch a hemorrhoid commercial if Joss directed and Jane wrote.
4. Jane Austen Quote of the Day I do love me my Janes. This time it's Jane Austen, with quotes taken from her novels and her letters, each one exceeding your daily recommended allowance of biting wit. It's like getting your daily helpin' o' scalpels . . . but funny.
5. Popcorn and Chain Mail. It doesn't update very often, but when it does . . . ahhh, the snark is strong with this one. Three or four history buffs (or possibly history professionals; they certainly know a lot of stuff I don't, and I enjoy history as much as your next librarian) go after Hollywood's version of history. Notable sporkings have included the cartoon Anastasia, weepie-fest Titanic, and most recently, Tristan+Isolde, otherwise known as Pretty, but they sure can't act.
I do have more, but 95% of my blogs are connected to the library or kidlit world in some way. Good lord, I am a one-track dork. Anyway, if Little Willow at Bildungsroman, Shannon at Clarity . . . perhaps, Fuse #8 or anybody else wants to join in the fun, please do!
1. Cute Overload I don't care what kind of day you've had, you have to smile at this blog. Kittens! Puppies! Occasional lizards! All in a state of overwhelming cuteness! Don't read the entire page at once or you may never recover. Also, you may start speaking in a reeeeeediculous Frawnsh accent!
2. Dooce The most famous blogger ever to get fired from her job, Heather Armstrong now writes about everything and nothing, and does it hilariously. My favorites are her monthly letters to her daughter, Leta, wherein she talks candidly and lovingly (and often slightly insanely) about all the changes her preschool-age daughter is going through as she grows.
3. Jane in Progress Television writer Jane Esponson talks about selling scripts, writing for the networks, and writing in general. I first found this because she often works with Godlike-Creator-of-Buffy-and-Firefly Joss Whedon, and let's face it folks, I would watch a hemorrhoid commercial if Joss directed and Jane wrote.
4. Jane Austen Quote of the Day I do love me my Janes. This time it's Jane Austen, with quotes taken from her novels and her letters, each one exceeding your daily recommended allowance of biting wit. It's like getting your daily helpin' o' scalpels . . . but funny.
5. Popcorn and Chain Mail. It doesn't update very often, but when it does . . . ahhh, the snark is strong with this one. Three or four history buffs (or possibly history professionals; they certainly know a lot of stuff I don't, and I enjoy history as much as your next librarian) go after Hollywood's version of history. Notable sporkings have included the cartoon Anastasia, weepie-fest Titanic, and most recently, Tristan+Isolde, otherwise known as Pretty, but they sure can't act.
I do have more, but 95% of my blogs are connected to the library or kidlit world in some way. Good lord, I am a one-track dork. Anyway, if Little Willow at Bildungsroman, Shannon at Clarity . . . perhaps, Fuse #8 or anybody else wants to join in the fun, please do!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Down the Rabbit Hole
I'm back! With a book! Isn't it funny how whenever you think you've hit the drought of a lifetime, bookwise, you suddenly stumble into a patch of really really really good stuff?
Well, that's how it always happens to me.
Book: Down the Rabbit Hole
Author: Peter Abrahams
Published: 2005
Ingrid Levin-Hill should be over the moon. She’s gotten the part of Alice in the stage version of Alice in Wonderland. But it's hard to concentrate on the stage when a woman named Cracked-Up Katie is murdered right after Ingrid was in her house. And when she mounts her own personal investigation, she keeps coming up with questions instead of answers. What's with her parents lately? Who is this guy, Vincent Dunn, and why did he come to Echo Falls? What really happened to Cracked-Up Katie's fiance? Is she ever going to find the end of this rabbit hole?
It’s no coincidence that Ingrid is playing Alice. Abrahams expertly captures the strange, senseless feel of Carroll's classic. There are a lot of loose threads that exist simply as loose threads. They may or may not be connected. They may be connected, but we don’t know how. I finished the book unsure about whether this was Abrahams not bothering to tie it all together, but the sheer volume of these loose ends makes me think this was his way of making Ingrid’s world Wonderlandish, where things happen for seemingly no reason and with no discernable effect.
It’s tempting (and human) to wish for all of them to be wrapped up, for her parents’ behavior, her brother’s, her grandfather’s, to be explained. But that would have been too pat. Life is a bundle of loose ends, after all, as Alice and Ingrid both learn.
Pick up Down the Rabbit Hole for a challenging, twisty mystery about a sane girl in a crazy world.
Well, that's how it always happens to me.
Book: Down the Rabbit Hole
Author: Peter Abrahams
Published: 2005
Ingrid Levin-Hill should be over the moon. She’s gotten the part of Alice in the stage version of Alice in Wonderland. But it's hard to concentrate on the stage when a woman named Cracked-Up Katie is murdered right after Ingrid was in her house. And when she mounts her own personal investigation, she keeps coming up with questions instead of answers. What's with her parents lately? Who is this guy, Vincent Dunn, and why did he come to Echo Falls? What really happened to Cracked-Up Katie's fiance? Is she ever going to find the end of this rabbit hole?
It’s no coincidence that Ingrid is playing Alice. Abrahams expertly captures the strange, senseless feel of Carroll's classic. There are a lot of loose threads that exist simply as loose threads. They may or may not be connected. They may be connected, but we don’t know how. I finished the book unsure about whether this was Abrahams not bothering to tie it all together, but the sheer volume of these loose ends makes me think this was his way of making Ingrid’s world Wonderlandish, where things happen for seemingly no reason and with no discernable effect.
It’s tempting (and human) to wish for all of them to be wrapped up, for her parents’ behavior, her brother’s, her grandfather’s, to be explained. But that would have been too pat. Life is a bundle of loose ends, after all, as Alice and Ingrid both learn.
Pick up Down the Rabbit Hole for a challenging, twisty mystery about a sane girl in a crazy world.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Just in Case You Suddenly Get a Lot of Extra Time
Presenting . . . The Literature Map! A snazzy little website where you can plug in an author you like, then it displays a cloud of authors similar. The closer the author, the more similar. It's pretty keen, although they do need a little editing (Jane Austin?), and it's kind of fun to follow your own literary tastes through all the different clouds it generates. It's not snobbish about kidlit or genre fic, either.
Thanks to Throwing Marshmallows for the link! What fun!
Thanks to Throwing Marshmallows for the link! What fun!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Interview Meme
Straight from Zee at Zee Says, my entry into the interview meme.
1. Tell me about one holiday tradition your family has that you think is unique.
This may not be strictly unique, but I think it is unusual. We don’t rip into our Christmas presents all at once--there’s a structure to the gift giving. Presents are opened one person at a time, with the person who opened the last one getting to pick the present for the next person. We do this in set rounds--when everyone’s gotten one, we decide whether to do another round or do something like watch one of our new movies or cook or take a break from each other. It is absolutely required that my dad (and his camera) capture the giftee and gift on film. We do one or two rounds on Christmas Eve (after church) and then leave the rest until Christmas day.
The rounds tend to break down by evening, when people who got some big gifts have opened them all and people who got a lot of little gifts are still opening. But I don’t think we’d ever do it any other way. It stretches the day out forever, and it also focuses us on each other and not just the joy of acquisition.
2. What is one thing you regret?
Hiding in a book for most of high school and never accepting any of the overtures of friendship or socialization made to me. A really bad middle school experience made me suspicious and cagey, convinced that anybody reaching out had their own nefarious plans for making my life hell.
3. What is one movie you think all people should be required to see? Why? If it is not a movie that most people have seen, give a 1-2 sentence summary.
The Sixth Sense. It’s one of the few movies that make me cry that I will actually watch again. I love the way it looks at life and death and who’s on which side, and how it affects them.
4. What is your favorite comfort food?
Mexican food, like my mom makes. More specifically, frijoles that still have little bits of uncrushed bean and lots of cheese and milk and you know that some kind of beef or ham bone was involved in the cooking of the beans. The smell and taste and texture just mean home to me.
5. What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you? How did you maintain the fear from overtaking you?
I temped for about a year in between undergrad and library school. (I don’t recommend that, by the way. Not long-term. Temps are treated like the gum on your shoe in a lot of offices.) I got fired suddenly from a temp job . . . the agency called me and told me not to go to work the next day. I wasn’t even entirely sure why. I’d never been fired or kicked off anything before. I was terrified that I’d done something horrendously wrong that the agency refused to tell me about, and they would never hire me again, and I’d wind up begging pennies on the street corner in order to pay the tuition to the library school that had just simultaneously accepted me and told me they couldn’t offer financial aid. It didn’t help that it was more than a month before I got another job from them, and I just watched my bank account slide toward zero.
I know now that I was expendable, just a temp that they could jettison at will, and there was probably nothing personal in it. But at the time, it felt darn personal.
I got through it day by day. The thing that helped most was going to church, where I also sang in the choir. The friendship and support of that choir helped out so much, and so did the feeling that there were things out there bigger than my stupid little life.
If you want to play, leave comments and I’ll try to come up with my own interview questions.
1. Tell me about one holiday tradition your family has that you think is unique.
This may not be strictly unique, but I think it is unusual. We don’t rip into our Christmas presents all at once--there’s a structure to the gift giving. Presents are opened one person at a time, with the person who opened the last one getting to pick the present for the next person. We do this in set rounds--when everyone’s gotten one, we decide whether to do another round or do something like watch one of our new movies or cook or take a break from each other. It is absolutely required that my dad (and his camera) capture the giftee and gift on film. We do one or two rounds on Christmas Eve (after church) and then leave the rest until Christmas day.
The rounds tend to break down by evening, when people who got some big gifts have opened them all and people who got a lot of little gifts are still opening. But I don’t think we’d ever do it any other way. It stretches the day out forever, and it also focuses us on each other and not just the joy of acquisition.
2. What is one thing you regret?
Hiding in a book for most of high school and never accepting any of the overtures of friendship or socialization made to me. A really bad middle school experience made me suspicious and cagey, convinced that anybody reaching out had their own nefarious plans for making my life hell.
3. What is one movie you think all people should be required to see? Why? If it is not a movie that most people have seen, give a 1-2 sentence summary.
The Sixth Sense. It’s one of the few movies that make me cry that I will actually watch again. I love the way it looks at life and death and who’s on which side, and how it affects them.
4. What is your favorite comfort food?
Mexican food, like my mom makes. More specifically, frijoles that still have little bits of uncrushed bean and lots of cheese and milk and you know that some kind of beef or ham bone was involved in the cooking of the beans. The smell and taste and texture just mean home to me.
5. What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you? How did you maintain the fear from overtaking you?
I temped for about a year in between undergrad and library school. (I don’t recommend that, by the way. Not long-term. Temps are treated like the gum on your shoe in a lot of offices.) I got fired suddenly from a temp job . . . the agency called me and told me not to go to work the next day. I wasn’t even entirely sure why. I’d never been fired or kicked off anything before. I was terrified that I’d done something horrendously wrong that the agency refused to tell me about, and they would never hire me again, and I’d wind up begging pennies on the street corner in order to pay the tuition to the library school that had just simultaneously accepted me and told me they couldn’t offer financial aid. It didn’t help that it was more than a month before I got another job from them, and I just watched my bank account slide toward zero.
I know now that I was expendable, just a temp that they could jettison at will, and there was probably nothing personal in it. But at the time, it felt darn personal.
I got through it day by day. The thing that helped most was going to church, where I also sang in the choir. The friendship and support of that choir helped out so much, and so did the feeling that there were things out there bigger than my stupid little life.
If you want to play, leave comments and I’ll try to come up with my own interview questions.
Monday, March 19, 2007
John Green, M.T. Anderson, and Semi-Rampant Criminality
No review today because I had my own urban adventure, which included a cathedral, a central library, cheap jewelry, lots of walking, hole-in-the-wall cuisine, and being stuck on the train for two extra hours. Four of those things were really fun.
Don't despair, however. Over at Brotherhood 2.0*, John Green has a special guest with him for his bidaily video, and it's none other than M.T. Anderson, the only author I have ever done a doubleheader for besides Lisa Yee. They schlep around Detroit and commit acts of mild illegality, and generally confirm all my impressions of both authors from their books. Check it out!
*What do you mean you're not following it?**
**????
Don't despair, however. Over at Brotherhood 2.0*, John Green has a special guest with him for his bidaily video, and it's none other than M.T. Anderson, the only author I have ever done a doubleheader for besides Lisa Yee. They schlep around Detroit and commit acts of mild illegality, and generally confirm all my impressions of both authors from their books. Check it out!
*What do you mean you're not following it?**
**????
Friday, March 16, 2007
Er . . . huh?
Not to say I've never known any evil librarians. But a book about a boy battling a cult of evil librarians who restrict information doesn't seem like it's doing the ol' image any favors.
However, I'll keep my peace and see if it rocks. If so, I claim the power of the Evil Shush. Or maybe the Evil Bun. My hair's certainly long enough. I wonder if the Evil Bun could strangle people? That's a power I could use some days.
Thanks to Fuse #8 and Zee Says for the link.
However, I'll keep my peace and see if it rocks. If so, I claim the power of the Evil Shush. Or maybe the Evil Bun. My hair's certainly long enough. I wonder if the Evil Bun could strangle people? That's a power I could use some days.
Thanks to Fuse #8 and Zee Says for the link.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Speak
Book: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: 1999
From Day One of high school, Melinda is untouchable, a pariah. She committed the most heinous of high-school crimes--called the cops on a summer party and caused a number of fellow students to get arrested, or at least in serious trouble. Her friends have deserted her and nobody else will get near her. As the school year goes on, she finds herself less and less able to talk. Even her art class, which offers a non-vocal alternative, isn't any help as her year-long assignment goes down the tubes. Her only refuge is an abandoned janitor's closet where she goes to be alone.
But ultimately, Melinda has no choice but to speak.
Okay, I know what you're saying . . . especially those of you who are total YA lit whizzes. Why the heck are you blogging this book, Bibliovore? It's not like we don't know about it! There's even a movie!
But like Melinda, I find I've just got to talk. I'd always heard about Speak as one of those towering classics of modern YA lit, with the result that I didn't have any idea what it was about or what kind of book it was. I wasn't entirely sure I would like it, but I instantly found myself sucked into the bitter, harrowing, and at times deliciously snarky narrative.
While Melinda can't talk to anyone in her life, she can and does pour it all out to us. Everything from her opinions on the constant changes in the school mascot ("Home of the Trojans didn't send a strong abstinence message, so they've transformed us into the Blue Devils") to her near-incoherence in the presence of her attacker is opened up to the reader. Speech and silence seem to feature in every relationship in her life, and the choice between one or the other at certain points directs the narrative.
In the end, I forgot it was a Classic Novel and just sank into the story. And that may be the best definition of a classic yet.
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: 1999
From Day One of high school, Melinda is untouchable, a pariah. She committed the most heinous of high-school crimes--called the cops on a summer party and caused a number of fellow students to get arrested, or at least in serious trouble. Her friends have deserted her and nobody else will get near her. As the school year goes on, she finds herself less and less able to talk. Even her art class, which offers a non-vocal alternative, isn't any help as her year-long assignment goes down the tubes. Her only refuge is an abandoned janitor's closet where she goes to be alone.
But ultimately, Melinda has no choice but to speak.
Okay, I know what you're saying . . . especially those of you who are total YA lit whizzes. Why the heck are you blogging this book, Bibliovore? It's not like we don't know about it! There's even a movie!
But like Melinda, I find I've just got to talk. I'd always heard about Speak as one of those towering classics of modern YA lit, with the result that I didn't have any idea what it was about or what kind of book it was. I wasn't entirely sure I would like it, but I instantly found myself sucked into the bitter, harrowing, and at times deliciously snarky narrative.
While Melinda can't talk to anyone in her life, she can and does pour it all out to us. Everything from her opinions on the constant changes in the school mascot ("Home of the Trojans didn't send a strong abstinence message, so they've transformed us into the Blue Devils") to her near-incoherence in the presence of her attacker is opened up to the reader. Speech and silence seem to feature in every relationship in her life, and the choice between one or the other at certain points directs the narrative.
In the end, I forgot it was a Classic Novel and just sank into the story. And that may be the best definition of a classic yet.
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